This invention relates generally to apparatuses for handling and processing large numbers of pieces of sheet material such as paper money and more particularly to sheet accumulating devices of the type which renders such pieces of sheet material (hereinafter referred to as "sheets") arriving continuously one sheet at a time into stacks or bundles. More specifically, the invention relates to a novel stacker drum for affording even more positive and accurate sheet accumulation operation in an apparatus of this type.
Among apparatuses such as automatic counters for sheets such as paper money, there are those wherein counted sheets are sent out and arrive continuously one sheet at a time at a certain point. In an apparatus of this character, an automatic sheet accumulating device is installed downstream of the point where the counted sheets are sent out and is operated to perform processing such as aligning and stacking the sheets into the form of neat stacks or bundles each of a specific number of sheets and binding each bundle.
If, during this operation, a defective action or malfunctioning of any of the parts of the device should occur to cause a disturbance of the continuous operation thereby to give rise to folding of sheets or upward flipping of sheets, the previous step of counting will come to naught, and the sheets will tend to be damaged.